De Havilland | Aircraft Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia de Havilland was a British aircraft designer and manufacturer. It was based in Hatfields, Hertfordshire in England. de Havillands early planes were single and two seater bi-planes. They were responsible for the Tiger Moth and Gipsy. de Havilland was also responsible for the most successful fighter bomber of World War Two, the Mosquito. The Mosquito was primarily made out of wood and glue which made it light and the two Rolls Royce V12 Melin engines made it quick. The Comet was produced by de Havilland. The Comet was the first passenger jet in the world. In 1960 de Havilland was bought by Hawker-Siddley Aviation. Here are some the more notiable de Havilland aircraft: Mosquito De Havilland Aircraft ﻿ De Havilland Aircraft De Havilland Model Railway Society was formed by a group employees at the de Havillands Hatfield site over fifty years ago, so we have a strong interest in the de Havilland company, it's Canadian offshoot and aviation in general.

Over the years de Havilland's at Hatfield produced many famous aircraft some of which made important contributions to aviation, military and general history. On this page we illustrate just a few of the Company's famous aircraft. Due to our unique(?) link some examples of De Havilland aircraft may be seen in the "sky" above the trains on the Havil layout! You can see many of the actual aircraft at the de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre nearby at Salisbury Hall, South Mimms, Hertfordshire. de Havilland Tiger Moth One of the classic British aircraft designs. First flown in 1931, built as a training aircraft for both civilian and military pilots, many are still in existence and being flown today. de Havilland 88 Comet Winner of the 11,000 mile 1934 England to Australia MacRobertson air race. de Havilland Mosquito Largely made of wood the mosquito was built by many small ex-furniture factories thus not impacting production of other WWII metal based aircraft. It operated very successfully as a fighter, bomber and reconnaissance aircraft.

Capable of outrunning most German fighters and operating at very low level, the Mosquito produced only a small radar image forestalling current stealth technology. de Havilland Vampire One of the world's first jet fighters first flown in 1943. Over 800 were built and flew with nearly 20 Air Forces around the world. de Havilland Comet The worlds first commercial jet airliner, first flown in 1949. de Havilland Canada Dash 8 Last in a series of STOL (Short Take Off & Landing airliners, first flown in 1983. Built by the "offshoot" company based in Canada. Mosquitoes, Comets and Vampires: The de Havilland Museum • The Register Mosquitoes, Comets and Vampires: The de Havilland Museum When the British aerospace industry was more than just British Aerospace Posted in Geek's Guide , 20th December 2013 09:01 GMT Geek's Guide to Britain Approaching the museum down a bumpy single track road you start wondering if any of this makes any sense. Why is this museum in the middle of nowhere? Why are the opening hours so peculiar?

Why are there bits of aircraft lying around? Why does it have two different names? All becomes apparent in due course and in the process reveals the fascinating stories of not only a great engineering company and a special aeroplane but also how a group of enthusiasts built a museum from scratch. That museum – the de Havilland Museum near St Albans – celebrates the story of the de Havilland Aircraft company and one aircraft in particular, the twin-engined DH.98 Mosquito of the Second World War. The Mosquito airframe came here first, hence why all the signs on the surrounding roads point to the “Mosquito Museum”. But the site expanded to take on the whole history of the De Havilland company and so was renamed to reflect the broader remit. Every item in the museum has a link to the company itself but also provides lessons on the broader British aircraft industry – and, if you look for it, the ups and downs of capitalism. It interplays with technology too. If you understand the company, the development history of the aeroplanes you see at the museum will make more sense, so on with the story ...

History of de Havilland The story of de Havilland is also that of its founder and namesake Geoffrey de Havilland. An entrepreneur in the classic mould, he worked in the aeronautics industry for almost his whole life, not only designing revolutionary aircraft but also building the companies to manufacture and sell them. After engineering school – just like any modern-day startup – Geoffrey borrowed money from his grandfather to build his first aircraft in 1909. Geoffrey de Havilland, pictured in Perth in 1929 Using an aero engine he also designed himself, the aircraft crashed on its first flight. Undaunted, he went on to build a second aeroplane with which he taught himself to fly and subsequently sold it to his new employer, the Royal Aircraft Factory. He was poached in early 1914 to become Chief Designer at Airco, a private aircraft manufacturer based in Hendon, north London. Throughout the First World War Geoffrey designed successful aeroplanes for the Royal Flying Corps, from the DH.1 to the DH.9, which in its 9A variant went on to serve with the RAF for another two decades.

By 1918 Airco was the world’s largest aircraft manufacturer – but the end of the war and the consequent drop in sales proved fatal to the company. Despite moving into passenger aeroplanes the company remained unprofitable. It was finally taken over by BSA, of small arms and motor vehicle fame, in 1920, but Airco's new parent company only wanted factory capacity for their growing car business. This proved the opportunity Geoffrey was waiting for: he bought out the aircraft assets and set up shop under his own name in Edgware, near to Hendon, and later moved to premises in Hatfield, just up the road from the present-day museum. The inter-war years Initially de Havilland concentrated on the light aircraft market, producing a series of aircraft based on the Moth, an existing Airco design but using Geoffrey's own-designed Gipsy engines. Notable models included the first Moth, the DH.60 and the most famous of all Moths, the Tiger Moth, used widely to train military pilots well into the Second World War. A de Havilland Tiger Moth, pictured at the de Havilland Museum The basic plywood Moth design spawned many versions for specific purposes.

A touring version, the DH.83 Fox Moth, had wings that folded back so you could tow it home easily. The larger DH.84 Dragon, a twin-engined development of the Fox Moth, was used for scheduled passenger and mail services, evolving into the iconic 1934 DH.89 Dragon Rapide. The most unusual was the Queen Bee: a Tiger Moth fitted with remote control equipment to serve as a anti-aircraft gunnery target. The museum has one – suggesting someone was not a terrific shot. An important development of this period (but which I can't help feeling was done just for marketing) was the DH.88 Comet. This was in response to the MacRobertson International Race from London to Melbourne announced in 1933. With no British aeroplane of the time being suitable, Geoffrey de Havilland announced he would build one. His final design (which won the race in a time of 71 hours) was a wooden box construction covered in plywood and fabric with tuned Gipsy engines.

Lightweight and extremely streamlined for better performance, it would serve, along with the four-engined DH.91 Albatross airliner as the forebear of the Mosquito to come. The Second World War and the Mosquito Having concentrated on building small, light aircraft, de Havilland was in danger of becoming simply a sub-contractor as the clouds of war began gathering over Europe in the mid-1930s. One market that did interest the company, though, was that for a twin-engined bomber, called for by the Air Ministry in specification P.13/36. de Havilland started by reworking the Albatross using Rolls-Royce Merlin engines but it fell short of requirements, prompting a radical rethink. A Rolls Royce Merlin aero-engine, as installed on one of the museum's Mosquitoes While the need was set down for an armed bomber capable of defending itself, de Havilland preferred the idea of an unarmed bomber using just its speed to avoid the enemy. It would be fast, streamlined and – in what would later prove a useful step – would be made of wood. The idea was taken to the Air Ministry who showed no interest. What to do?

Like a true entrepreneur with a vision, Geoffrey de Havilland started work anyway, in October 1939. The design team, initially comprising eight people, were moved away from the main manufacturing plant in Hatfield to the secrecy of Salisbury Hall a short distance away - which is, of course, the site of the current museum. de Havilland's designers worked in the main hall of the moated manor house while the prototype airframe was assembled in a small hangar alongside, disguised as a farm building. The design was radical. Built almost entirely of wood, it was structured as a single wing, to which the engines and fuselage were simply attached with just four bolts. The structure followed that of the Albatross, with a wooden structure glued and screwed together (using 30,000 screws per aircraft), covered in plywood and then fabric. No rivets meant a very smooth skin and with no gun turrets – a standard feature of bombers back then – a streamlined shape. Two Merlin engines supplied the power and the whole prototype was designed and put together in just eleven months.

When ready to fly the pieces of plane (now given the company designation DH.98) were put on lorries, shipped to Hatfield, assembled again and the maiden flight was made. de Havilland Mosquito B Mk.35 TA634 at the de Havilland Museum While having been started under its own steam the project now had some official backing, initially from Air Marshal (later Air Chief Marshal) Sir Wilfred Freeman, Air Member for Development and Production at the Air Ministry. Being made of wood it fulfilled a new requirement, B.1/40, for a fast long-range bomber-reconnaissance aeroplane made from “non-essential” materials: i.e. it wasn't metal, which was in short supply. The new aircraft, named the Mosquito, easily surpassed expectations. During acceptance trials it reached 392mph and even outpaced a Spitfire in a head-to-head contest, leading to an initial order for fifty examples. The sheer flexibility of the Mosquito airframe was its greatest strength. Built in two basic forms of fighter or bomber it performed a variety of tasks: night fighter; pathfinder; photo- reconnaissance; strategic bomber, sea patrol and fighter-bomber.

Armament varied widely too: four .303” Browning machine guns and four 20mm Hispano cannon were the normal complement for a fighter variant, with hardpoints available for bombs, anti-ship torpedos and rockets in later years. Even a bomb bay-mounted 57mm anti-tank gun was installed on the FB.Mk XVIII. The "Mossie" saw use throughout the war, with one of its most famous roles being in the Pathfinder squadrons. Here the Mosquito units led streams of four-engined heavy bombers to their targets by using the Oboe navigation system , which greatly increased the effectiveness of night bombing campaigns. Of higher profile was the strategic bombing of the Gestapo's Oslo headquarters and the Amiens prison raid; the approaches for these raids being made at just 60 feet above ground level for maximum surprise. Arguably the finest aircraft of the war, the Mosquito's era ended as jet engines broke new performance records, but the company continued to forge ahead.

The post-war years and the de Havilland Museum: 1945 – 1960 de Havilland entered the jet era in typical fashion by putting its broad range of aero-engineering skills straight to use. Not only did it make its own jet engines (the Halford H.1 being the first, used initially in the rival Gloster Meteor) but it produced complete military and commercial aircraft of often radical design, such as the tailless, ill-fated DH.108 Swallow, all three examples of which were destroyed in fatal crashes. One such crash claimed the life of Geoffrey de Havilland Jr., son of the company's founding father, in 1946. A well-weathered de Havilland Sea Vixen at the museum Operational roles started with the twin-boom DH.100 Vampire jet fighter and continued with the similarly equipped DH.110 Sea Vixen for carrier deployment with the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. In the commercial field de Havilland was equally ambitious and with the DH.106 Comet launched the world’s first commercial jet airliner in 1952.

Early aircraft failures due to challenges previously never encountered by aircraft manufacturers led to extensive redesign work and slow sales, but despite rivals such as Boeing learning from de Havilland’s problems and leaping ahead, the Comet astonishingly continued in service until 2011, in the form of the RAF Nimrod airborne early warning aircraft. Despite other advanced work on Blue Streak ballistic missiles and even satellite launch rockets de Havilland was unable to gain enough commercial contracts and in 1960 was taken over by Hawker Siddeley. The company's designs continued, with the DH.121 entering commercial service as the Hawker Siddeley Trident, but the iconic name eventually disappeared. Hawker Siddeley itself disappeared into British Aerospace in the 1977 nationalisation of the remains of the British aerospace industry. An era of British private aircraft companies, led by its most pioneering engineers, passed into the history books. The museum The museum itself is a delight and a wonderful example of what can be achieved by volunteer enthusiasts rather than government largesse. Yes, it can appear ramshackle but that’s part of the charm.

It remains completely run by volunteers and without any government support the musuem has added hangars and exhibition space as funds allow, and continues to restore and maintain the planes held there in full view of visitors. The volunteer ethos running through the museum also means more interaction than you would expect. The team like messing about with aeroplanes and so want you, the visitor, to get as hands-on as possible too. If an airliner's door is open, poke your head in and have a look about. If a cockpit is open, jump in and feel for yourself what flying that aircraft must have been like. The initial push to preserve and display de Havilland aircraft came from a Walter Goldsmith who bought Salisbury Hall after the war and realised the Mosquito had been designed there. Contacting the company's PR department, he found out the original prototype, serial number W4050, was still in Hatfield and needed a home, which he graciously offered. The Mossie arrived in 1959, making the de Havilland Museum the oldest aircraft museum in the country and unique in displaying a prototype on the original site where it was designed and built.

Over the years more aircraft arrived, always with an association with de Havilland or the site itself. Early pre-war exhibits include the Tiger Moth and the aforementioned Queen Bee, plus oddities such as a Cierva C.24 helicopter, for which de Havilland produced the airframe. The Second World War part of the museum is all about the Mosquito and they have three examples, the world’s largest group of the aircraft. Alongside the prototype are both fighter and bomber variants plus an extensive display of weaponry options, including the impressive 4,000lb blast bombs, cannon and machine guns. They also have examples of the drop fuel tanks used to extend aircraft range and even bulletproof windscreens! Another item of note from this period is a section of Handley Page Horsa fuselage, from a glider used to drop paratroopers behind enemy lines. Jump in: Visitors can enter the Handley Page Horsa troop-carrying glider Aeroplanes from the post-war period are well represented and, being larger, can be mainly found outside. They include the Vampire and Sea Vixen military jets and examples of both the Comet and Trident airliners, plus light training aircraft such as the Chipmunk.

Alongside the planes are also displays on the company history and development of the jet engines from the later years. The museum is completed by of course the museum shop, for you to stock up on aircraft models, books and the necessary refreshments. You can still see the original hangar entrance set in concrete next to the hall. Behind it are newer hangars housing the older airframes but the future will hopefully be built behind these; a new hangar to move almost all the aeroplanes under cover and help preserve them for future visitors. Planning permission has been requested, now it’s up to you. Go visit and help them raise the funds they need to build it. ® GPS Sir Geoffrey de Havilland with an aircraft - Stock Image H404/0226 - Science Photo Library Sir Geoffrey de Havilland with an aircraft H404/0226 Rights Managed Credit: SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY Caption: Geoffrey de Havilland. View of the British aircraft designer Sir Geoffrey de Havilland (1882- 1965) with an aircraft. De Havilland first flew one of his own aeroplanes in 1909.

From 1912 he was the Chief Designer and Chief Test Pilot for the Royal Aircraft Factory at Farnborough, England. He then worked for Airco, designing eight planes for them during the First World War. One of these was used after the war to carry passengers across the English Channel. With his own company, de Havilland produced the Moth biplanes, the Comet racer, the Mosquito (1941) and the Comet jet airliner (1949). By 1959 the De Havilland Company had been absorbed into Hawker Siddeley Aviation. Release details: Model release not available. Property release not required. 1000+ images about De Havilland aircraft on Pinterest | Canada, Air force and Chipmunks Forward Awesome V12 twin-Merlin sounds and great video of Keith Skilling and Dave Philips puttirn the British WW2 de Havilland DH98 Mosquito Fighter/Bomber through low level for display at Ardmore Aerodrome in Auckland, New Zealand.

KA114 (the serial no of this particular aircraft) is now painted in the colours of EG-Y of 487 (RNZAF) Squadron during 1943-1944. See More de Havilland Aircraft history performance and specifications de Havilland aircraft history, performance and specifications Geoffrey de Havilland Arguably the most prolific of British aircraft manufacturers, the de Havilland Aircraft Company Ltd is also recognised as one of the most innovative. From one of the most successful families of light aircraft in the inter-war years through to research into guided weapons systems in the 1960s, there are few nations in the world that haven't been influenced by de Havilland in the field of aeronautics. The company's founder, Sir Geoffrey de Havilland, knighted for his services to British Aviation in 1944, was mechanically minded and a keen engineer in his youth. In 1910, Geoffrey constructed and flew his first successful airplane. Due to its merits, this machine was purchased by the War Office for ï¿½400 a year later. The money earned was used by de Havilland to obtain Royal Aero Club Certificate No.53.

Employment by the government run H. M. Balloon Factory at Farnborough, Hampshire, as designer/pilot soon followed, along with a number of innovative aircraft built for the military. After three years of inspiring work, the young engineer became Chief Designer with the Aircraft Manufacturing Company Ltd, or Airco in 1914, where he designed some of the most significant warplanes used by the Allies over the next four years. Successful designs included the outstanding D.H.4 light bomber and derivative, the D.H.9, both of which saw widespread use post-war as civilian transports. It was a converted D.H.4 that flew the world's first scheduled international passenger flight, between Hounslow, England and Le Bourget, France in 1919. DH4 After the end of the war, de Havilland established his own manufacturing firm at Stag Lane, Edgware; by 1921 the de Havilland Aircraft Company Ltd operated its own airplane hire service and flying school. 1921 also saw employment of designer R. E. Bishop, a talented engineer responsible for several generations of fine de Havilland products.

By far the best-known de Havilland machines of the period were the `Moth' family; the first to appear was the D.H.60 in 1925. With the founder of the firm being a keen lepidopterist, a generation of light planes was named after species of moths; by far the most recognized was the D.H.82A Tiger Moth primary trainer. By the end of the 1930s there were few places in the world that had not been overflown by a de Havilland Moth of one type or another. Tiger Moth The DH.60 and its siblings were mostly powered by derivatives of the Gipsy in-line motor, renowned the world over for its reliability. Built by gifted engineer Frank Halford, formerly of the Aircraft Disposal Company (Airdisco), Halford's work for de Havilland saw him produce one of Britain's first gas turbine engines, the Halford H.1, renamed the de Havilland Goblin.

This engine was the powerplant of Britain's second jet fighter, the D.H.100 Vampire, and the prototype of the first American jet to see service, the Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star. DH 100 Vampire However, when the rest of the world was turning to all metal aircraft structures in the early 1930s, de Havilland's innovative use of wood gained them respect. The 1934 MacRobertson England-to-Australia air race won acclaim for the American aircraft industry with the entry of two all-metal airliners; Col. Roscoe Turner's Boeing 247 and the KLM Royal Dutch Airlines DC-2 `Uiver'. The winner was a purpose built racing plane of wooden construction, the sleek de Havilland D.H.88 Comet 'Grosvenor House'. These impressive machines failed to sell in the commercial sector, but their wooden monocoque construction went into the controversial, but successful, D.H.98 Mosquito fighter-bomber. Built in complete secrecy in 1940, the Mosquito was a maverick in concept, and the establishment was initially adamant about the machine's abilities.

The `high speed unarmed bomber' concept eventually won supporters and the Mosquito was in demand by all the air commands of the British armed forces. R. E. Bishop's `Wooden Wonder' was eventually pressed into service carrying out virtually every task expected of aircraft in wartime. DH Mosquito By mid 1943, the high-pitched whine of gas turbine spools winding up was echoing through de Havilland test centres, as by the end of September that year, the Spider Crab jet fighter had flown for the first time. Renamed `Vampire', the introduction of the little machine into service in 1946 meant de Havilland became a major supplier of military equipment to the world. The construction of the Vampire and Venom relied on de Havilland's continuing use of wooden manufacturing techniques, the forward fuselage ahead of the engine was made of the same materials as those used in the Mosquito. It was in the airline industry that de Havilland was generating publicity, however. In 1949, the D.H.106 Comet heralded in the jet age as the first jet powered passenger aircraft, thus securing the British industry as world leaders.

But disaster struck with a series of crashes of British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) Comet 1s, from which the Comet and the British civil aircraft industry never recovered. The effects of metal fatigue from high pressurization rates in the fuselages of these pioneering airliners were literally blowing them apart. In spite of the negative effect on the company and the industry, the Comet crashes brought new levels of crash investigation and flight safety testing into the aircraft industry. Behind closed doors, the de Havilland Propellers division was carrying out research into rocketry and guided missiles, which included building the first effective British infra-red, heat seeking, air-to-air missile the Fire Streak. Based on the Convair Atlas ICBM, de Havilland propellers were also responsible for the Blue Streak rocket, Britain's own nuclear missile. Although cancelled in 1960 as a weapon, the technology went into providing Europe with an unsuccessful indigenous satellite launcher. The Blue Streak, first stage of the Europa rocket, performed flawlessly with every flight and bears the distinction of being the only rocket to have a 100% success rate in test firing.

With a realization that the British airspace industry fielded too many independent companies for its needs, the government instigated a merger of these firms and formed the British Aircraft Corporation and Hawker Siddeley in 1960, the latter incorporating de Havilland. Current de Havilland products came under the Hawker Siddeley banner and the famous `DH' disappeared from the British aircraft manufacturing industry forever. Due to a worldwide interest in vintage and classic aircraft, the de Havilland name still flies proudly in many countries today. Hosts of better-than-new D.H. Fox, Gipsy, Hornet, Leopard and Tiger Moths are pampered by their owners and can be seen at fly-ins and air events across the globe, evoking nostalgia from when `DH' ruled over the world of aviation.

The Pioneers : An Anthology : Geoffrey de Havilland (1882 - 1965) Geoffrey de Havilland (1882 - 1965) Geoffrey de Havilland (1882 - 1965) British aircraft designer who designed and whose company produced the Moth biplane, the Mosquito fighter-bomber of World War II, and in 1949 the Comet, the world's first jet-driven airliner to enter commercial service. After designing a fighter and a bomber for use in World War I, he founded the de Havilland Aircraft Company 1920. This was eventually absorbed into the Hawker Siddeley conglomerate. De Havilland was born near High Wycombe, and as a youth designed and built steam cars and motorcycles. In 1908-09, he constructed his first aeroplane. De Havilland's design had a better aerodynamic shape than earlier biplanes. However, he had never flown before (indeed, he had only ever seen one aircraft flying in the distance), and his first flight ended in the aircraft being wrecked.

In the 1920s and 1930s the de Havilland Company produced a series of light transport aircraft and the Moth series of private planes, starting with the Cirrus Moth 1925. The all-wood Mosquito was at first rejected by the Air Ministry, but went into squadron service in Sept 1941. Faster than the Spitfire, it could out-fly virtually anything in the air. After World War II the de Havilland company put a range of jet-powered aircraft into production, many of which used the company's own engines. Geoffrey de Havilland Geoffrey de Havilland, the son of a clergyman, was born in High Wycombe in 1882. As a young man he designed and built steam cars and motorcycles. With a £1,000 gift from his grandfather, de Havilland began work on his first plane in 1908. Completed in early 1910, its only flight took place at Crux Easton. With de Havilland at the controls, the plane crashed after flying only 100 feet.

De Havilland continued with the project and his second aircraft, the FE-1, was purchased by the British War Office. In 1911 de Havilland worked on a new plane for the Royal Aircraft Factory. The BE-2 flew for the first time in January, 1912. Soon afterwards, the BE-2 set a new British one-passenger altitude record of 10,560 feet (3,912 m). On the outbreak of the First World War, the BE-2 was the standard military aircraft employed by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC). The design of the plane was constantly being revised and during the war there were five different versions. De Havilland's next aircraft was the Airco DH-2. Despite a lack of speed and an unreliable engine, the DH-2 was more manageable than German Fokker E- types and helped to establish allied air supremacy over Germany during the Battle of the Somme. De Havilland designed the Airco DH-4 in 1916 as a single-engined bomber and was so impressive in trials that it went into immediate production.

The first of these aircraft were delivered to the Royal Flying Corps in March 1917. The pilot sat beneath the centre of the wing, with the gunner behind. The Airco DH-4 was easy to fly, could travel at over 100 mph and had a high ceiling of 23,500 feet (7,163 m) and was considered the best single-engineered bomber of the First World War. In 1920 he established the de Havilland Aircraft Company and produced a series of light transport aircraft and the Moth series of private planes, including the highly successful Tiger Moth. In 1934 de Havilland's Comet won the England to Australia air race. On the outbreak of the Second World War, de Havilland the Mosquito fighter-bomber. The all-wood Mosquito was at first rejected by the Air Ministry, but went into service in September, 1941. Faster than the Spitfire, the Mosquito could out-fly virtually anything in the air.

Knighted in 1944, de Havilland designed and built the Comet in 1949, the world's first jet-driven airliner to enter commercial service. In 1961 de Havilland's company became part of the Hawker-Siddeley organisation. Geoffrey de Havilland died in 1965. The de Havilland Story On a crisp December day in 1909 a 27 year old motor engineer sat amidst the spars, struts and piano-wire braces of a strange twin-prop biplane he had designed and built. In the plane, that was perched on top of a hill on the Hampshire downs, sat the pilot dressed in a neat high-breasted suit and a tall white collar. Suddenly the engine sprang to life and the two propellers mounted behind the wings thrashed into the air. Then an associate at the rear began pushing and the apparatus, looking more like a box kite than a plane, began to move. It trundled, downhill for forty yards and leaped into the air. With the pilot struggling with the control stick and the man on the ground holding his breath it climbed steeply for thirty-five yards.

Then it crashed. The pilot hauled himself out unhurt, except for bruises and scratches, and began salvaging the motor from the wreck. Thus the aircraft's pilot, Geoffrey de Havilland, one of the great pioneers of aviation, received his first flying lesson. In a lifetime of hair-raising aviation pioneering, Geoffrey de Havilland's career spanned the whole history of flying, from box kites to the complete missiles of today. A shy, gaunt genius, de Havilland drove and hustled his way to mastery of the air. Born in 1882, the son of a country parson, Geoffrey de Havilland was always mechanically minded. In his late teens he scorned the usual university education with emphasis on the arts and went off to an engineering school. In the backyard of his home he built himself a handmade motor cycle that was so efficient it won him a job in a motor works designing buses. Then came the first flights of the Wright brothers and the French aerial pioneers. Young Geoffrey de Havilland became a man possessed with aviation fever. He married in 1907 and soon infected his wife, Louie,with his enthusiasm.

In the summer of 1908, he went to Oxford and persuaded his grandfather to give him 1000 to build a flying machine. It was money he would have received as a legacy on the old man's death. Back in London, de Havilland threw in his job, and with a young mechanic, Frank Hearle, set about building a plane out of wire, wood and linen. It was powered by a 45 h.p. engine. Even Mrs. de Havilland took a part in the construction for she was given the job of stitching every seam in the stiff linen cover for the wings. The plane was finished late in 1909 and de Havilland and Hearle took it to the Hampshire downs. There, for days on end, they battled to get it airborne. Each time the motor roared into life, Hearle heaved from behind then threw himself on the ground as it sped forward to see if there was a crack of light between the wheels and the grass. Finally, came the December day when they took the dangerous step of sending the 800 lb craft running down a steep hill.

This time it took off and flew, even if it was a wreck thirty-five yards farther on. But, that did not deter de Havilland who immediately began rebuilding. His new machine was stronger and simpler with only one propeller. Six months later, back at the same fateful spot on the Hampshire downs, de Havilland and his second plane learned to fly together. But by this time, his grandfather's 1000 had gone and there seemed no commercial prospects in plane building. So, de Havilland took a job at the Army Balloon Establishment at Farnborough as a pilot-designer. Hearle went with him as a mechanic. Later when the army decided to turn from balloons to aeroplanes, de Havilland and Hearle produced some of Britain's first military machines. Their first effort was the DH2 (his own machine had been DH1) and was a primitive affair with no windscreen, no brakes and no proper throttle. Nevertheless, when World War I broke out hundreds of the DH2 model operated over the Western front.

They could climb to 14,000 feet, had a top speed of 93 m.p.h., fought vicious early aerial battles and survived the most violent manoeuvring without breaking up. Later, de Havilland produced numerous improved machines, notably the DH4 and DH9 which were the work horses of the Allied air forces. Altogether 33 per cent of Allied air strength and 95 per cent of all American wartime production were planes designed by de Havilland. Always, de Havilland's approach to design was simple and direct. "I like a thing to look right," he once said. "If it does not, although I may not be able to prove it wrong scientifically, I have often found out later that it is". ...more 13 de Havilland Aircraft Company de Havilland Aircraft Company United Kingdom Company profile The de Havilland Aircraft Company was founded in 1920 by Geoffrey de Havilland. Prior to establishing the company de Havilland worked as chief designer for the Aircraft Manufacturing Company (Airco). Initially the company produced biplane aircraft, such as the de Havilland Gipsy Moth.

Subsequent aircraft included the de Havilland Dragon Rapide passenger aircraft. During the Second World War de Havilland built the famous Mosquito fighter-bomber aircraft. 7,781 Mosquito aircraft were built between 1940 and 1950. de Havilland introduced the DH106 Comet aircraft in 1949. The Comet was the first production commercial jet airliner, but its service was overshadowed by a tragic series of accidents. Military aircraft production included the DH 108 Swallow and DH 110, but development of both aircraft was beset by fatal accidents. Hawker Siddeley Aviation acquired de Havilland in 1960 but operated it as a separate company until 1963. Aircraft - such as the 121 Trident and 125 - continued to be manufactured under their original DH designation until merger of Hawker Siddeley into BAC in 1977.

Company information de Havilland Aircraft Museum The de Havilland Aircraft Museum From the Air The de Havilland Comet 4 Simulator The cockpit of the de Havilland Trident The de Havilland Aircraft Museum From the Air The Museum is now closed for the Winter and will reopen on Sunday 5th March 2017 Welcome Welcome to the oldest aviation museum in the UK dedicated to the preservation and display of de Havilland Aircraft. The de Havilland Aircraft Company played an important role in the history of aircraft development in 20th century Britain. The de Havilland company created world beating aeronautical innovations including many iconic aircraft such as the de Havilland Mosquito – “The Wooden Wonder”, the Comet – the world’s first jet airliner, the Tiger Moth – the “backbone “of the RAF’s training aircraft in WWII and the Airspeed Horsa Glider – used extensively by our airborne troops in 1944 during D-Day, Arnhem and the Rhine crossing. We are a “working museum” where we actively restore de Havilland Aircraft so you are likely to see our volunteers at work, who are always willing to answer your questions.

The de Havilland Aircraft Museum is staffed entirely by unpaid volunteers who perform a wide range of tasks according to their skills. We need your support in our quest to build a new hangar. Many of our aircraft are on display outside and exposed to the weather including the last example of the Comet 1A-the world’s first Jet Airliner. To ensure their survival we need to protect these aircraft and the construction of a new large hangar is essential if we are to continue the restoration process. The Museum has been granted planning permission to build a large Hangar that will replace a smaller building and it will enable us to protect more of our aircraft that are currently displayed outside. We have applied to the Heritage Lottery Fund for a grant of £1.5Million-the hangar will cost over £2.2million. We have already used our own funds to prepare the foundations. However we need your help to raise a further £700,000 that will enable the museum to secure funding which will enable complete the hangar. You can make a donation to the Hangar fund by clicking here See the Mosquito Prototype DH98 Mosquito Prototype at The de Havilland Museum, London Colney, UK.

#DH98 #Mosquito #prototype #ww2 #history #restoration #theta360 – Spherical Image – RICOH THETA

Question: Which British aircraft company produced the 'Tiger Moth', 'Mosquito' and 'Comet'?
Answer: DE HAVILLAND